Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to hold hearing in Eureka Sat May 11

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

EUREKA-Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) and Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay) will host a hearing of California State Assembly Select Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Eureka Saturday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside Eureka City Council Chambers, 531 K St.

The hearing is free and open to the public.

“It is an opportunity for those with an intellectual or developmental disability and their families and service providers to talk directly to the Legislature about their needs and struggles and what the state can do to better serve them,” said Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay), who chairs the committee. “We have learned so much about the challenges the IDD community faces in previous hearings we have held in cities around the state. Listening to directly to the stories of people whose lives are impacted by an IDD has helped us understand what the state can do better. We take what we learn back to Sacramento to shape legislation and policy.”

“The IDD community needs to be fully supported by the state and I’m thankful that the Select Committee on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities chose Eureka as a location to hold a hearing,” said Assemblymember Wood, who chairs the Assembly Health Committee. “I look forward to meeting with members of the community and hearing about their experiences and challenges.”

The hearing will feature a presentations by staff of the Redwood Coast Regional Center, including Executive Director Rick Blumberg. The presentations will cover affordable housing, employment services and outreach and diversity outreach.

Self-Advocates will testify on their experiences and what the region’s most pressing needs are for the IDD community.

A large portion of the hearing will be dedicated to public comment. Those in attendance are encouraged to come up to the microphone and talk about their experiences.

“We have found that the most informative part of these hearings is listening to the self-advocates and the public comment period,’’ Frazier said. “People tell us their stories, and we always learn something new.”